Rev Ron's Rants

The frequently inane ramblings of one who isn't always right, but is never actually wrong, either. Topics included might be political, theological, gastronomical, sexual, or even motorcycle-related. All I can guarantee is that ... on second thought, if you want a guarantee, go buy a bloody toaster, and leave me alone!

About Me

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

According to an article in The Washington Post, liberals' disrespect of Trump's supporters is making those supporters back his presidency even more, despite the fact that they are, as a group, more likely to suffer as a result of his policies, his incompetence, and his lack of fitness for the office he holds.

I
have a difficult time respecting people whom I perceive as abandoning
everything this country is supposed to stand for, who refuse to
acknowledge blatant lies that the people they support feed them on a
daily basis. tRump has a near-flawless record of appointing people who
are either wholly ignorant and unsuited for their jobs, or are committed
to destroying the departments they are supposed to lead. He clearly
admires fascist dictators, yet spits in the faces of our once-devoted
allies, and his supporters accept this.I want very
much to respect my fellow citizens of every political stripe, but
respect has to be earned. tRump's supporters don't earn respect by being
complicit in the destruction of our society; they demand it and get
their feelings hurt when we cannot justify giving it to them. It seems
to me that they are willing to hurt their own interests and those of
their children and grandchildren, rather than acknowledge the reality of
what they are supporting and the very real damage that is being done. And beyond that, it is absurd for tRump's supporters to expect liberals to show them the respect they typically refuse to show their more progressive co9unterparts. This
is the quandary that progressives face; if we don't give tRump and his
supporters the respect they demand, their collective will is hardened
and their allegiance to tRump is strengthened. But in order to give them
the respect they demand, progressive voters must abandon their own
sense of right and wrong, and give legitimacy to a president who
repeatedly demonstrates a willingness to ignore the law and commit acts
of treason for his and his genuinely wealthy supposed peers' enrichment
and benefit. We are expected to lie, and to give legitimacy to lies, and
if we fail to do so, tRump's base will push even harder for a party
that is bent upon the destruction of our democracy. I cannot help but
wonder; how do THEY define "enemies, both foreign and domestic?"

Thursday, August 17, 2017

As
a man raised in the South, and who attended Robert E Lee and Mirabeau
Bonaparte Lamar High Schools, I can relate to the almost visceral
admiration for General Lee. At the same time, however, I learned, long
after graduation, how "the South" I was taught to revere was not the
idyllic milieu that was presented in my classes.

I remember our
third-grade Texas History textbook actually using the phrase "nigger
slaves," and how, in the '50s, the use of the phrase didn't seem
inappropriate. i remember not being shocked at the existence of "white
only" drinking fountains, the sign announcing "colored entrance" to the
cafe adjoining the bus station in Lufkin, Texas, and even one forbidding
"colored people" from using the x-ray machine in the shoe store that
showed how a pair of shoes fit. And I remember my high school graduating
class of nearly a thousand people, all but a handful of which were
white.

My time at college changed my perspective dramatically. I
was shocked to learn of the atrocities that "colored" people endured
under slavery, and that they still endured in East Texas in the late
'60s. A good friend in college - who happened to be black - had to leave
Nacogdoches with his white girlfriend out of fear for their lives. And
Leon Russell had to flee his native Oklahoma, just because his wife,
Mary, was black.
Fast forward to today, and I can see how the
hate that drives the white supremacist movement is still as virulent as
ever, and how the efforts to stem that hate are actually exacerbating
it. I don't think the answer is to attempt to redact anything that was
borne of an earlier period of our history. Destroying the symbols of
hate won't eliminate the hate, any more than the pre-penicillin
treatment of syphilis - cauterizing chancres - cured the disease. All we
are doing is hiding the symptoms, while allowing the disease to fester.

I agree with the removal of monuments to the worst of our past, but
think it more effective and less inflammatory to move them to museums
than to just tear them down and destroy them. At the same time, we need
to ensure that we are more honest in our reporting of history in our
classrooms. As it turns out, my high school has been renamed and
stripped of any association to General Lee. But my nostalgia for that
mythical South is outweighed by my awareness that we need to not idolize
our darkest times, for while there were countless acts of heroism on
both sides during the Civil War, it was, in and of itself, certainly not
a heroic effort. It was an ugly, horrific war, fought, as are most
wars, for the least noble of reasons.

We won't eradicate racism,
Nazism, and all the other ugly ism's in our lifetime. What we CAN and
MUST do is put a halt to the violence, and commit to teaching our
children (and their parents) that the nobility of war is an illusion.
its deep flaws hidden behind grand statues, its anguished cries silenced
by songs that praise death. We need to learn that our real enemies are
our own ignorance and fears, and that the only way those enemies can be
vanquished is by a commitment to a compassionate resolve that stops
violence in its tracks, and builds upon a sense of brotherhood and
sisterhood. We can do it. It will be slow, and will involve compromise,
not of our deepest values, but in the way we share and impose those
values. It is not a time for ideological purity, which is itself the
breeding ground for intolerance. It is a time for honesty, for real
strength, and for patience with each other. Because lacking any of these
qualities, we condemn ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren to
a world where fear and hate reign. We can and MUST do better.

Friday, December 09, 2016

One need not be a die-hard liberal to notice an alarming trend as we move closer and closer to a Trump presidency. Neither does that trend rely upon hyperbole in order to be genuinely alarming. The president-elect apparently sees no value in the daily security briefings that every modern president has received, detailing the most imminent threats facing the country. He is more concerned with using his Twitter account to strike back at perceived slights, no matter how slight they might be, from union leaders, comedians, journalists, and anyone else who dares to call him on his fondness for conspiracies, his misstatements and misrepresentations, and especially his outright lies.

His further efforts to do away with the freedoms guaranteed under the First Amendment are well-documented: Unilateral actions against all followers of specific religions, his desire to establish and maintain a registry of Muslim Americans, his stated desire to revise libel laws so that journalists and regular citizens who speak out against him can be subjected to litigation - perhaps even criminal prosecution. The list goes on.

Mr. Trump's transition team has circulated a questionnaire to Department of Energy personnel in an effort to obtain the identities of anyone who has worked in support of President Obama's climate change initiatives or attended the U.N. Climate Change Summit. It is not a stretch to assume that the purpose of such a database would be to punish or at least marginalize those whose findings might challenge his industry-centric narrative
In addition, for the first time in memory, the Lincoln Memorial, a preferred site of gatherings and protests, has been designated off-limits to the Million Women's March scheduled for the day after the inauguration, with the only possible explanation being his desire to squelch dissent. And lest one think he is singling out the ladies, the Lincoln Memorial and numerous other public sites are being closed to virtually all demonstrators ahead of the inauguration and for weeks afterward.

I believe that we will see, in the very near future, the tipping point, at which the nation will either remain free or step finally into the brand of tyranny that Mr. Trump seems to be seeking. The Army Corps of Engineers has announced that it will not issue permits to allow the pipeline to be installed in the protested area, citing both the treaty agreement outlining valid Native American tribal claims and the very real potential for devastating ecological impact. It's an impact that could, among other things, poison the drinking water for millions of people, should a rupture occur such as has happened with alarming frequency in recent months and years. In response, the company building the pipeline has stated that it intends to proceed according to plan, ignoring the Corps' denial of permits and paying whatever fines are levied, since doing so wold be more economical than compliance.

It is the government's response to this action that I believe will be the "canary in the coal mine," as my wife describes it, after which we will remain a relatively free state or descend fully into a tyranny. Simply put, will the law enforcement agencies that have been aggressively going after the water protectors/protesters thus far change their focus to the pipeline company employees, whose defiance of the Corps of Engineers and resumption of construction is a clear breach of the law?

If law enforcement enforces the Corps' ruling as one would hope, it would be a very good sign, However, if law enforcement agencies continue to go after the peaceful protesters who are engaging in legal protest, and actually protect the construction workers who are breaking the law, it must be assumed that the march to tyranny has become the official policy of the land. At that point, each citizen must decide whether they are willing to allow the country to undergo a fundamental shift that literally brings to an end this remarkable exercise in democracy that the founders envisioned. If this is unacceptable, the only alternative is to resist in any manner we can.

Our first effort must be to convince our elected officials that allowing such a shift in our political structure is a clear breach of the oaths that all elected officials and military personnel have taken, and to pressure these oath-takers to fulfill those oaths. I'm still hopeful that there is enough love of country to outweigh the partisan pressure and outright manipulation that has become the norm over the last few decades. If that hope proves false, however, each of us must decide whether we are willing to end this experiment.

The choices facing us at that point will be hard, indeed. But democracy, by its very nature, is difficult and messy. I, for one, think it is worth it, and intend to fulfill my oath. I would hope that every other citizen would take that decision into prayer, however they might be inclined, and to seek whatever guidance rings most true to them and choose the path that will best provide their children and their children's children with the same freedoms we cherish, rather than sitting silent and allowing it to slip away forever.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

In a little over a month, we, the citizens of the United States, will
be electing a person to the most powerful job in the world, one that has the
capacity to improve lives across the face of the planet, or to set in motion
events that could very easily lead to human extinction, all at the stroke of a
pen or the utterance of a few words. We will be electing the 45th
President of our young country.

What is both sad and truly frightening is that it has
become abundantly clear that far too many who have the power of their vote are
not taking the heavy responsibility that comes with that power seriously. Too
many pay heed only to things that reinforce their heavily biased likes and
dislikes, and they ignore even what should be the most worrisome aspects of
their chosen candidate’s actions, words, history, and character. No matter how
well-proved a concept, or how well-documented an event or statement, the
decision is too often made to rationalize, twist, and spin an event sufficiently
to reinforce a chosen narrative, rather than consider it on its own merits.

I frequently find myself referring to a brilliant
passage, written by Kurt Vonnegut in what is, for me, his seminal work, “Breakfast
of Champions.” In the passage, the book’s protagonist, Kilgore Trout, describes
the absurdity, the dangers, and in the final analysis, the futility of ideas in
our modern culture. I offer the passage here, for your review.

And here, according to Trout, was the reason
human beings could not reject ideas because they were bad: “Ideas on Earth were
badges on friendship or enmity. Their content did not matter. Friends agreed
with friends, in order to express friendliness. Enemies disagreed with enemies,
in order to express enmity.

The ideas Earthlings held didn’t matter for
hundreds of thousands of years, since they couldn’t do much about them anyway.
Ideas might as well be badges as anything.

They even had a saying about the futility of
ideas: ‘If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.’

And then Earthlings discovered tools.
Suddenly agreeing with friends could be a form of suicide or worse. But
agreements went on, not for the sake of common decency or self-preservation,
but for friendliness.

Earthlings went on being friendly, when they
should have been thinking instead. And when they built computers to do some
thinking for them, they designed them not so much for wisdom as for friendliness.
So they were doomed. Homicidal beggars could ride.

Over the course of the last decade or so, we have not only
programmed our machines so as to reinforce our “badges,” we have taken to
structuring our approach to governance and even our closest relationships in
like manner. We have no qualms about berating friends and loved ones for not
wearing our chosen badge, and have shown an escalating willingness to abandon
even those ideals we claim to hold dear if those ideals are actually
demonstrated by someone with a different badge. Too many people bellow their
patriotism at the top of their lungs, even as they demand that the core
principles upon which that patriotism is supposedly based are discarded and
damned.

A twice democratically-elected president is reviled,
disrespected, and sabotaged, even in the House and Senate, by those who have
taken oaths to fulfill the responsibilities of their offices, to work in tandem
with fellow officials who may or may not share their political or religious
ideologies. They demand that the will of the majority be ignored, and the laws
they have sworn to uphold be broken, rather than work with a man they didn’t
vote for.

They do everything in their power to discredit,
delegitimize, and even destroy a politician they do not like, even threatening
to imprison or kill her, should the voters decide that she is their preferred
candidate.

They bloviate about their commitment to a Constitution
most have never read, yet pick and choose which aspects of that Constitution
they are willing to acknowledge. They demand the right of mentally unstable citizens
to purchase weapons of destruction, but demand the silencing – or the heads – of
journalists who seek the truth. They scream about what they perceive to be government
overreach and tyranny, yet clamor to the side of candidates who profess their
desire to be unencumbered by any laws or Constitutional limits.

As we near the day of the election, I cannot help but
wonder what lies beyond. I sense that a cataclysmic sequence of events is all
too possible, no matter which way the election goes. If a tyrant is elected, we
will almost certainly lose most of our allies around the world, and will
definitely lose their trust. At the same time, our enemies will be emboldened,
knowing that they no longer face a united front consisting of all rational
nations and their leaders. Actions once considered unthinkable are now very
much a part of the debate. Torture, genocide, and nuclear holocaust are
considered by the worst among us to be viable tools for achieving our goals,
and the kind of rhetoric we as a country and a world rejected over 80 years ago
has become mainstream and deemed worthy of consideration. And if the tyrant loses, a significant number of his supporters - self-described as "patriots" - threaten to overthrow the government to which they so loudly and proudly proclaim their allegiance.

I think we all need to listen to our own words, and
ask ourselves, Is this the kind of country and world we want to leave our
children and their children? Are the lessons we are teaching them really
consistent with our proclaimed values as Americans? Or do we want to leave our
children a world in which they can feel valued and safe from rage, both within
and beyond our borders? If nothing else, do we really believe our children will
look upon us with pride if we leave for them a world – or a country – always on
the brink of war, over badges? And
what if you learn that your children choose not to don the badges you prefer?
What then?

Friday, August 26, 2016

August 26, 2016 is the 96th Anniversary of the
19th Amendment, granting women the long-overdue right to vote. This date
was officially designated as Women’s Equality Day in 1971. It is, I
think, only fitting on this day that we commit ourselves to making
women’s equality a reality, rather than just the reason for yet another
designated “special” day. That reality will naturally mean different
things to different people, but there are a few core precepts that
deserve a place on anyone’s list.

– For the abrogation of both
“men’s rights” and “women’s rights,” replacing both with “human rights”
that are acknowledged irrespective of gender. Rights exclusive to one
group or gender cannot exist without denying those rights to the other.

– For ideas to have value on the basis of their logic, benevolence, and
integrity, rather than being accepted in spite of or because of their
having been put forward by a woman or a man. The first step toward the
realization of such a goal is for both men and women to set aside
defensiveness when considering a perspective that appears different on
the surface that our own, and to recognize that using dismissive terms
like “womansplaining” and “mansplaining” fail to further the dialog,
much less the understanding or changing of others’ perspectives.

–
To recognize and address sexism when it taints a discussion or behavior,
but to not strive to brush aside every point of disagreement or every
personal dislike by deeming it an example of sexism. Men and women are
genetically and culturally-inclined to perceive some things differently,
and while the cultural imperatives can be revised over time, genetic
conditioning is the product of many millennia, and therefore slower to
be revised. Both are better discussed and understood than attacked, if
one’s commitment is to achieving gender cooperation and consensus.

–
And ultimately, to strive to be respectful and fair in one’s dealings
with others, including those with whom we disagree. Just as a true
friendship cannot be based in absolute agreement, neither must enmity be
based in different points of view. By granting to others the benefit of
the doubt until such time as it proves unwarranted to do so, we enhance
the likelihood that other people’s understanding will grow more
sophisticated and accepting of us. It is only through such mutual
understanding and respect that we can hope to transcend the ugly
realities of sexism, misogyny, and misandry and enjoy living in a state
of genuine rather than forced or feigned equality.

Monday, July 18, 2016

I watched a couple of on-air interviews yesterday, with George
Stephanopolous interviewing Donald Trump and his campaign manager, and
Leslie Stahl, interviewing Trump with his running mate, Pence. When
Trump's campaign manager told George that "Hillary created ISIS," George
started to challenge the accusation, to which the surrogate said, "I'm
not going to go down that road with you." And the subject was dropped.
And when Stahl tried to press on one of Trump's many accusations of
Hillary, he merely talked over her, and she allowed the subject to be
changed.

I worry as much about the decline of real journalism as I
do about the rise of bullies who would lie, threaten, bully, and
frighten their way into public office, because journalists who are brave
enough to demand truth are our single best weapon against tyrants.

I
worry that younger generations have never seen the likes of a Walter
Cronkite, or seen a reminder of what freedom of the press
is supposed to stand for. I wish we had someone like Edward R. Murrow,
who dared stand up to Joseph McCarthy - my generation's Trump - and
expose him for what he truly was. As Murrow said:

“It is
necessary to investigate before legislating, but the line between
investigating and persecuting is a very fine one, and the junior senator
from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. His primary achievement
has been in confusing the public mind, as between the internal and the
external threats of Communism. We must not confuse dissent with
disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and
that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will
not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an
age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and
remember that we are not descended from fearful men — not from men who
feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes that were,
for the moment, unpopular.”

Next time you're asked to sign a
petition, consider instead starting or signing one that will *not* fall
on deaf ears, directed to those media owners and executives who control what will be covered, said, and accepted as truth. Because the harsh truth is that your viewership means infinitely more to media
bigwigs than your vote means to elected officials. And that desperately needs to be reversed.

Sunday, March 20, 2016

I've seen this collection of whines on Facebook a number of times, and decided it was about time to offer what I believe to be a reasoned, more educated response, regardless of the flames it might elicit among the members of the fringe right who can see my timeline.

Deriding everything a mixed-race president says, does, or tries to do
might not make someone a racist, but it sure acts like one.

Understanding the Constitution rather than bending it to
match one's politics is an essential element in defending it. Teabaggers
don't even know or acknowledge the agendas of those who fund and
orchestrate the movement.

When "speaking your mind" becomes an
attempt to silence others and abandon basic American values such as
"innocent until proven guilty," it constitutes a national security
threat greater than that which jihadists present.

One who rejects
clear and well-proven answers to questions, simply because they don't
conform to their own preconceptions is a troublemaker, operating from a
place of cognitive dissonance at best, and willful ignorance at worst.

One is a birther when... well, just read the item immediately preceding this one.

Nobody has claimed that exposing corruption on "the other side's" part
while condoning, denying, characterizing, or ignoring corruption on
"your side" constitutes treason. Lying (or blindly accepting lies)
accusing political enemies of corruption in an effort to undermine the
orderly, legal fulfillment of governance can rise to the level of
treason (or sedition under Logan Act definitions). Ignoring corruption
on one's own side at the same time isn't treason; merely hypocrisy.

The Teabaggers are the primary group that claims a failure to toe the (TEA) party line constitutes un-American behavior.

Those who support rushing into wars for economic reasons, yet fail to
support measures to support and provide care for troops who are damaged
or killed in those endeavors are worse than war-mongers. One who lies to
justify a war is clearly a war-monger.

Anyone who demands the
benefit of all the perks of a developed society, but refuses
responsibility for contributing to the development and maintenance of
those perks IS a greedy capitalist. Or a spoiled child.

Take
pride in working to improve the country, rather than trying to blame
others for things the country does in your name and with your at least
implicit support.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

So, I’m outside smoking a cigarette this morning, and
chatting with Mama Squirrel as she partakes of the buffet I set out for her
every day. I tell her how glad I am that she is enjoying her breakfast of
sunflower seeds, and every now and again, she looks up at me and says “Thanks”
in her silent squirrel tongue. I respond with a “You’re welcome” in my own
crude attempt to mimic her clarity.

As I watch her eat, it occurs to me that I wish the whole of
my life could be defined by little acts such as providing her with a meal every
day. Not by the hurtful things I’ve done and said; not by the illusion I try to
maintain about and even to myself. Not about the sadness that sometimes fills
me, but which I cannot bear to express. And not about the many times I’ve
failed those who should have been able to rely upon me. Unfortunately, that
wish is beyond my reach, as I have been and still am too often unkind. Still
cling to and share silly self-illusions. Still feel the need to be – or at least
appear – centered, grounded, and filled with only joy. And still sulking at the
things I should have done, should have achieved, and the trusts I should have
never betrayed.

Sometimes, I wonder (only in my most private thoughts, and
never aloud) whether I might actually be a sociopath, striving to manipulate my
universe and everyone in it for my own benefit. It is within that wondering
that I perceive my greatest failure.

But as I continue to watch Mama Squirrel enjoying her meal,
the only feelings that I can sustain are those of gratitude that she trusts me
enough to continue eating, altogether unconcerned by my presence. She doesn’t
know that I’ve killed and eaten many of her kind through the course of my life,
and enjoyed the acts. She doesn’t see my failures, my unkind moments, my
illusion, or my betrayals. She sees only that large being who provides the
food, and poses no threat.

And in this brief moment, my wish is fulfilled, for she
doesn’t see the selfishness, the deceit, and the rage by which I sometimes
define myself. She sees only love, kindness, clarity, and all those other
things that are easier to behold when one’s belly is being filled. And in this
moment, the love, kindness, and clarity are all there is to me. Not the product
of any enlightenment on my part, but rather the gift, given by a trusting
creature, as thanks for a simple act. I came out here to feed her, but it is I
who have been most nourished. Perhaps the ugliness inside me is only a part of
the illusion I paint of myself, borne of and perpetuated by the illusion that
the ugliness is what defines me.

I’ve come to realize that if I were truly a sociopath, I
wouldn’t be worried about it or feel regret. I wouldn’t care whether I had been
unkind, unjust, deceitful, or even cruel. I would simply continue being those
things, giving thought only to whether they were serving my needs. Those things
are still within me, and rear their heads more often than I’d like. But so long
as I can win the trust of one who is not inclined to trusting, and yearn to be
ever more worthy of that trust, I’m not really a lost cause after all.

Mama Squirrel is finished with her breakfast now, and rushes
to return to the sanctuary of her nest in that single oak in the north pasture.
She scurries along the ground, stops, and turns to look at me. I like to tell
myself that this is her way of leaving a tip, of acknowledging the kindness of
her meal. But in truth, her wordless trust is all the thanks I could possibly
need, and falls far short of the debt I owe her for simply allowing me into her
little circle. For telling me that the shadows and demons are not the whole of
who I am. And, in these brief moments, for granting me my single greatest wish.

Monday, May 04, 2015

When I was young, I usually resented it when some old fart
insisted upon offering me their sage advice. It seemed that very little of the
advice actually applied to my life in any way, and looking back, I can still
say that some – but certainly not all – of that advice was really an attempt to
get me to agree with their own mindset. Therefore, it is with no small measure
of hesitation that I offer my own “sage advice” to younger folks in general,
and to one young friend of whom I am particularly fond. So here goes…

First of all, I make no claim to being “wise.” To be honest,
during the course of my life, I’ve screwed up and failed at far more than I’ve
gotten right, and I don’t kid myself into believing that I’m finished screwing
up. Any “wisdom” I might have achieved has occurred out of attrition, rather
than mindful discovery, and reflects my attempt to be honest about my many
failures. So take anything I say with a grain (no, a pound) of salt.

Regrets

I’ve done some pretty ugly things in my life, and have
to acknowledge that if Karma is absolute, I’ve got at least a couple more really
virtuous lives to live before I can work it off. That being said, my deepest
regrets as I move closer to my departure from this life than to my emergence
into it are not for the things I’ve done, but rather for the things I haven’t done because I was afraid or felt
I was unworthy. I need to say that again, because it’s emerged as a really important
truth for me.

I regret the things I
haven’t done, much more than any of
the things I have done.

I am unworthy. The
first girl I ever really loved was a neighbor girl down the street. She was a
beautiful girl, and a genuinely good person, and therein lies the reason why I
never even told her I cared about her. See, I was bad. Far too bad a kid to be deserving of a good girl. Most of the
grownups knew how bad I was (I somehow offered them proof on a regular basis),
and didn’t really hesitate in reminding me of that fact. They were adults, and
I took their judgment very much to heart. Ironically, the little girl’s mother –
Joy – was one of the few who didn’t despise me. But then again, I wasn’t going
after her daughter.

I am afraid. While
I was in college, there was a girl I used to hang out with – let’s call her Susie
Homemaker –whose friendship I really enjoyed. We didn’t always agree about
everything, but enjoyed our disagreements as much as our agreements and our
shared experiences. We’d hang out all the time, and frequently tell each other
how fortunate that we were to stay friends, and not screw up the friendship by
being romantically involved with each other. We’d each date other people, and
tell ourselves and each other that those relationships didn’t have any bearing on
what we shared.

Everything was cool for a few years. That changed one night,
when I was about to go into the Navy, and she was moving to Alaska with her then
boyfriend. We were partying really hard that night, and I was incredibly high when
it hit me: we were saying goodbye to each other, probably for keeps. And that
scared me far more than I could have expected. Through the haze of my
drug-addled brain, I realized something I’d hidden from for years: I’d been in
love with her for a very long time, but had been afraid that revealing my true
feelings would scare her away.

We eventually got away from our fellow partiers, and the
truth burst out of me in a way I never allowed anyone to see. I broke down in
tears and told her how I really felt, and she responded in kind. Seems that she
had long felt that way about me, but figured those feelings weren’t returned. Turns
out that she was afraid, just like me. But now, we’d cast our respective fates
to different winds, and it was too late to change course. We hugged, cried
together, kissed for the first and last time, and said our goodbyes. And we
never saw or heard from each other again.

I don’t regret that she isn’t in my life now. Not really. I’m
with a woman I love with all my heart, and have no desire to replace. In all
honesty, even if Susie and I had followed our hearts, we’d have almost
certainly ended our relationship after awhile, and it probably wouldn’t have
been a particularly gentle parting. I ultimately learned the hard way that I
wasn’t ready for a real relationship back then. She didn’t know the demons that
dwelt in me, hidden away from everyone. Demons that would grow more virulent
before being (hopefully) vanquished. But I do regret that we denied ourselves
the opportunity to share something that could have been beautiful, even if only
for awhile.

What is left from both these experiences is a hard lesson. I’ve
never been afraid to confront others, but sacrificed things I cherished, simply
because I was afraid of being hurt, of being discovered for the unworthy person
I felt myself to be. The advice I would offer, to you, my young friend, and to
those who, like me, are no longer young, but still have that frightened child
living inside, is that love is the one thing that you should never turn away
from, because you will regret doing so for the rest of your life. Better to “get
the shit kicked out of you by love*” than to someday find yourself shadowed by “what
if” and haunted by “if only.”

My next bit of hard-earned “wisdom” is one that most of us
learn too late, and that applies to every aspect of our lives – our religion,
our politics, our profession, and most certainly, our relationships.

If any aspect of your
life doesn’t make you feel like a better person, and inspire you to want to become a better person, it is a waste of
your time.

We’ve all had jobs, relationships, and life circumstances
that we figured were good enough, for now at least. I’ve learned, through
repeated and often harsh examples, that “good enough” is the most insidious
drug we can ever take. It is the active acknowledgment that we’ve given up, at
least for the time being. We get comfortable.

Jobs. The job you
have might be mind-numbing and frustrating, or even a lot of fun, but not be
getting you any closer to where you dream of being. But hey, that regular
paycheck sure takes the worries away, and your job title might make you feel
important. Comfortably numb and effectively head-patted. Until you start
getting accustomed to that paycheck and job title, and figure you can spend
more, buy more, do more, and further burnish your badge of honor résumé. And
like a drug, it eventually takes more for you to feel comfortably numb, even as
that sense of yearning for what you really want keeps rearing its head. It’s a
vicious cycle. This isn’t implying that you should blare the song, “Take This
Job and Shove It” and walk immediately away. But look clearly at what your job,
career, and even profession really provides for you, and if it isn’t serving to
make you more like the person you dream of being, be open to clues that lead
you to the job, career, or profession that does, and follow them as if your
life depends upon it. And always know that you are far more than just your job
title.

Relationships. To
settle for a relationship that is good
enough for now is to state that you don’t deserve or won’t find anything
better. It is a surrender to the notion that you are less than what you really
are, and acceptance of the notion that you’ll never have the love you dream of
having. Unfortunately, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If your eyes are
tightly closed, you will never see the sunshine, never revel at the wonder of a
rainbow. And if you accept the comfort of a relationship that doesn’t serve to spark
your passions (and not just sexual), dispel your fears, and help you realize your
goodness as a person, while making you hunger to be an even better one, you won’t
be able to see such an enriching relationship when it does come your way. And
it will.

Get a better mirror; one that reflects more than your
imperfections. One that also reflects the real beauty that others see, but that
you don’t let yourself observe and acknowledge. Don’t rely so much on other
people’s opinion of you, because they will often have their own agendas .For
all your perceived flaws and shortcomings, there is a beauty in you that shines
clearly for those who are capable of looking and seeing, and that far outshines
any of those flaws. But you cannot show that beauty to those who don’t yet know
you unless you begin to recognize its presence. Listen to those of us who truly
love you, even though we seek nothing from you. We are there, all around you. Not
looking to judge your fashion sense, but being touched by your heart. Open your
eyes enough to consider that what we see must actually exist. We aren’t stupid,
we aren’t blind, and we’re not trying to trick you or use you. We only want you
to feel the joy that we know you deserve.

Life in general. Everyone’s
life is a collection of countless details, some the products of our decisions,
others existing by default. These include our geographical location, the
hobbies and interests we pursue, and the many things we acquire as the years
pass. Far too frequently, we simply accept without question or even much
thought the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Just as frequently, we choose
our circumstances based not upon what will make us better people, but rather
upon what is simple, or worse, what helps us avoid things we find uncomfortable.
Things that we fear.

I’ve learned – as always, the hard way – that personal
security notwithstanding, fear is quite often a signpost that lets us know we’re
going someplace new and unfamiliar. My own hard lessons have been the result of
turning away from something new, only to later embrace the same experience and
wish I hadn’t passed it up the first time around. On the other hand, I’ve found
that the most wondrous times in my life came to pass when I faced my fears and
followed a new path anyway. I stubbed some toes along the way, but learned that
the bruises – even the worst of them – always heal, while the memories and
lessons stay with me. And in retrospect, even situations that I found upsetting
– even frightening – have more often than not turned out just fine.

Sometimes, the things we gather around us begin to define us.
That’s not inherently bad, but we are best served if we recognize when that is
happening, and consciously decide what to hold onto and what to set aside. My
wife is admittedly obsessive about her huge collection of books. Where she has
thousands of books, many of which she’s never read, she has a tough time
bringing herself to get rid of any. I, on the other hand, have only a few that
I keep, despite having bought many more throughout my life. Those that I
particularly enjoyed, I passed along to others. Yet it is not my place to pass
judgment on her decision to keep so many books. They are important to her, and
besides, I have my own collectible fetishes, like the drawer full of knives I
own, most of which I never carry, but enjoy nonetheless. In addition, I act on
my own personal nature, which, while different than hers, is not necessarily
better.

My core attitude toward things and circumstances in general
is that everything in my life either serves me or is served by me. If something
doesn’t really make me a better person or genuinely enrich my life in some way,
I ask myself how much energy I use storing, protecting, and caring for it. If
serving something in my life takes more energy than the pleasure it brings can
justify, I set it aside or send it on its way to someone whom it will serve.
This has definitely not been a wise investment strategy, but as anyone who
knows me will attest, my preferred investments have always been in experiences,
rather than things. I’d no doubt be better off financially now that I’m semi-retired,
had I followed a more conventional strategy, but the experiences I’ve had are
far more rewarding to me than a fat portfolio could ever be.

I’m not suggesting that anyone adopt my overly casual
approach to circumstances and material things. Doing so would drive even some
of my dearest friends crazy. That’s what happens when you try to do something
that is contrary to your true nature. But once in awhile, it might be good to
ask yourself whether the minutiae of your life is serving you, or if you’re
serving it. Then give some thought to whom you’re in this life to serve. You
might be surprised at the changes in your priorities..

The one way to break the good
enough for now cycle is to realize that now
is all you’ve got, and to stop wasting it. Repeat that phrase:

Now is all you’ve got.

Your past is nothing but memories, and your future is a crap
shoot. Learn from one, and consider (but don’t obsess upon) the other. Don’t
let your future be defined and limited by your past. You are so much more than
the sum of your mistakes or your victories. Stick enough of your Now into the Good Enough jar, and your future will be filled with so many regrets
that there won’t be room for those most cherished memories. Better to devour
and be nourished and thrilled by that Now, and add it to that store of moments
you cherish. You’ll enjoy it more, especially when you grow so old that your
memories are your most reliable companions.

The next time you find yourself saying the phrase “good
enough” in describing some aspect of your life, realize that you may actually be
prefacing it with the belief, if not the words, “I’m not.” Learn to accept that
the people who truly know you and love you know better. You don’t have them
fooled. So quit fooling yourself, especially with self-doubt and recrimination.

Well, that’s about all the advice I feel qualified to give.
I don’t delude myself into believing that my advice is infallible, much less a
guaranteed key to unlocking the joy that life has to offer you. Nobody has such
a key, and besides, the door doesn’t even have a lock. All I can state with any
conviction is that while I certainly haven’t found the path to enlightenment, I
have spent enough time and energy on the path to sadness to ensure that I know
it very well. My “advice,” then, is offered to help you avoid a path I followed
for too many years, which brought me far more regret than happiness. To be
better than I’ve been, with far fewer regrets. You deserve nothing less.

Copyright 2007-2010 by Ron Kaye.
All rights reserved. Except for material used in accordance with fair use guidelines, this blog may not be reproduced in any form, by any technological means, without the express written consent of Ron Kaye.